waved a cheerful good-bye as he headed towards his house.
Emily and Bobby waved back.
âMaybe now, since the coast is clear, the ghost will come out,â Bobby said.
Emily nodded. âI hope so. Maybe ghosts donât like to be around grown-ups?â
âYeah, heâll definitely come out now ,â Bobby said confidently.
They waited, and waited, and waited âbut, nothing happened.
A car or pickup truck would drive by once in a while, seagulls swooped around and cawed at each other, and the waves washed back and forth across the rocks. The most exciting thing that happened was that Zack found a piece of driftwood, and walked around in circles, carrying it happily in his mouth and tossing it up in the air every so often. But, that was it.
They both jumped when Emilyâs cell phone suddenly rang, although it was just her father, saying that she had been gone for quite a while, and that it was time to come home. Bobbyâs mother called Bobby about a minute later, and said almost the exact same thing.
âGuess weâd better get going,â Bobby said. âMaybe the ghost only comes out once a year, or something like that. Like the moon and stars have to be aligned just right, maybe?â
Emily nodded. âYeah. Or maybe it was a real person, and my father couldnât see him, because his glasses were fogged up, or he wasnât paying much attention.â
Bobby nodded, too, and they walked along glumly.
âI was really hoping weâd see it,â Bobby said.
To her surprise, Emily realized that she agreed with him. âMe, too,â she said.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
When she thought about it later, though, she was glad that it hadnât been a ghost, after all. Just being able to communicate with Zachary in a unique way was important and exciting. She really didnât need to be able to communicate with mysterious spirits, too. Her life was already complicated enough.
So, when she was walking Zack a couple of days later, and they ended up heading down the road towards the bridge, she didnât give it that much thought. In a small town, there were a limited number of directions she could walk in, and going over to the bridge was as good an idea as any other.
It was a very cloudy afternoon, and looked like it might rain soon. But, so far, she had only felt a sprinkle here and there. If it actually started raining, she and Zack would probably be able to make it home before they got completely soaked, as long as they hurried.
The closer they got to the bridge, the more eager Zack seemed. He kept wagging his tail, and looking up at her, practically dancing with excitement.
âHeâs there, isnât he?â Emily said.
Zack barked.
Which sounded a lot like a yes.
It wasnât too late to turn around, and she was tempted to do it, but Zack was moving forward with obvious determination.
âIf he turns out to be scary,â Emily said, âI am going to blame you.â
Zack just wagged his tail.
The bridge seemed pretty deserted today, maybe because the weather wasnât very good. No one was fishing, there werenât any cars driving by, and there didnât even seem to be any seagulls around. But, somehow, Emily wasnât surprised to see the same man by himself on the rocks.
Zachary barked a greeting, and the man looked up. Emily raised her hand to wave a tentative hello, and the man lifted his hand even more tentatively in return. He walked towards them, although it seemed almost as though he was gliding across the rocks.
He stopped about ten feet away from them, and they looked at each other.
âUh, hi,â Emily said.
The man nodded gravely. âHello.â
Zack didnât seem to think that any of this was at all unusual, and he sat down, raising his paw in a friendly way.
âThat is a fine dog,â the man said.
Emily nodded, since she certainly agreed with that .
âWhy can you see me,
Emily and Bobby waved back.
âMaybe now, since the coast is clear, the ghost will come out,â Bobby said.
Emily nodded. âI hope so. Maybe ghosts donât like to be around grown-ups?â
âYeah, heâll definitely come out now ,â Bobby said confidently.
They waited, and waited, and waited âbut, nothing happened.
A car or pickup truck would drive by once in a while, seagulls swooped around and cawed at each other, and the waves washed back and forth across the rocks. The most exciting thing that happened was that Zack found a piece of driftwood, and walked around in circles, carrying it happily in his mouth and tossing it up in the air every so often. But, that was it.
They both jumped when Emilyâs cell phone suddenly rang, although it was just her father, saying that she had been gone for quite a while, and that it was time to come home. Bobbyâs mother called Bobby about a minute later, and said almost the exact same thing.
âGuess weâd better get going,â Bobby said. âMaybe the ghost only comes out once a year, or something like that. Like the moon and stars have to be aligned just right, maybe?â
Emily nodded. âYeah. Or maybe it was a real person, and my father couldnât see him, because his glasses were fogged up, or he wasnât paying much attention.â
Bobby nodded, too, and they walked along glumly.
âI was really hoping weâd see it,â Bobby said.
To her surprise, Emily realized that she agreed with him. âMe, too,â she said.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
When she thought about it later, though, she was glad that it hadnât been a ghost, after all. Just being able to communicate with Zachary in a unique way was important and exciting. She really didnât need to be able to communicate with mysterious spirits, too. Her life was already complicated enough.
So, when she was walking Zack a couple of days later, and they ended up heading down the road towards the bridge, she didnât give it that much thought. In a small town, there were a limited number of directions she could walk in, and going over to the bridge was as good an idea as any other.
It was a very cloudy afternoon, and looked like it might rain soon. But, so far, she had only felt a sprinkle here and there. If it actually started raining, she and Zack would probably be able to make it home before they got completely soaked, as long as they hurried.
The closer they got to the bridge, the more eager Zack seemed. He kept wagging his tail, and looking up at her, practically dancing with excitement.
âHeâs there, isnât he?â Emily said.
Zack barked.
Which sounded a lot like a yes.
It wasnât too late to turn around, and she was tempted to do it, but Zack was moving forward with obvious determination.
âIf he turns out to be scary,â Emily said, âI am going to blame you.â
Zack just wagged his tail.
The bridge seemed pretty deserted today, maybe because the weather wasnât very good. No one was fishing, there werenât any cars driving by, and there didnât even seem to be any seagulls around. But, somehow, Emily wasnât surprised to see the same man by himself on the rocks.
Zachary barked a greeting, and the man looked up. Emily raised her hand to wave a tentative hello, and the man lifted his hand even more tentatively in return. He walked towards them, although it seemed almost as though he was gliding across the rocks.
He stopped about ten feet away from them, and they looked at each other.
âUh, hi,â Emily said.
The man nodded gravely. âHello.â
Zack didnât seem to think that any of this was at all unusual, and he sat down, raising his paw in a friendly way.
âThat is a fine dog,â the man said.
Emily nodded, since she certainly agreed with that .
âWhy can you see me,
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